Applying Complex Natural Systems Learnings to Business

How observing influences can reveal hidden business behaviors

A *black hole is a region of Space-time exhibiting such strong gravitational effects that nothing—not even particles and electromagnetic radiation such as light—can escape from inside it.

Highlight: “Gravity plays an important part in motion and researchers have developed complex dynamic systems to sense gravitational variations in order to develop better moving robots…the sensors were develop by studying receptive organs of various species…”

Insight: Black holes* were discovered not by direct observation but rather anomalies surrounding them. Because of the nature of black holes with such strong gravitational forces that they even trap light coming out of them, they cannot be observed with conventional instruments (light analysis). Instead, astrophysicists have discovered anomalies in the paths of objects surrounding them (planets, asteroids, comets….) and by studying these gravitational anomalies they were able to deduct the presence of black holes without seeing them and forge subsequent theories….

The discovery of black holes is inspirational when it comes to business: interacting directly with the concern subject (e.g. a business or person) to find clues will always be subject to obstacles (lies, hides, traps…). However, looking around for clues is more likely to reveal the true nature of a business or person.

Lets illustrate the above point with the following case study: A reputable Law firm is looking for its new high profile hire, after months of search they have shortlisted 5 candidates for rounds of face to face interviews. After three rounds one candidate stands out, he presents himself flawlessly, has been answering all questions spot-on and has a nice personality which all four members of the selection panel like. While in the final discussion on whether to hire him 3 of the judges straight away give their approval but the last one is a bit more cautious and raises the question on whether any one has investigated further besides the standard company checks on aspects such as education or companies previously worked for. The answer is negative and, as all four members need to agree, they decide to do a final check by investigating his surroundings. While at first glance everything seems fine, one member finds a post on the internet regarding a possible police case involving this person an his neighbors. According to the the newspaper article this person had been harassing his neighbors for years voluntarily making noises late at night to keep them on the hedge due to a personal conflict with them. After checking the facts with the police office which dealt with the case they find out from the officer in charge that this person was diagnosed with a psychological disorder and has a clear tendency for aggressive behavior when faced with outcomes that does not meet his expectations. The conclusion the panel draws is that this person, despite meeting all other requirements, is a high risk hire due to his potential aggressive reactions to a stressful work environment. They decide to hire someone else…

Are you in the doubt about a company or someone? If so, you can interact with them directly but perhaps also look for the signs in their entourage (the people that surround them, the businesses that deal with them…) and you are likely to find your answers. Direct interactions will keep you in doubt, footprints left overtime rarely do; no matter your first impression about someone or a company do not underestimate the need for background entourage checks…

What is Biomimetics: the field of gaining inspiration from nature first to solve some of our most difficult challenges. Instead of coming up with our own solutions to a problematic, the odds are that species or natural systems on the planet already offer an ultimate solution. This simple fact is also another strong case to preserve species at all cost as the intellectual heritage contained within or through the study of species is both irreplaceable and invaluable…

How inductive thinking can lead to strategic risks reductions

Highlight: “In biomimetic or biologically inspired design, designers use analogical reasoning to compare similarities between biological phenomena and design problems, and then transfer analogous strategies to develop design solutions. Researchers observed that although several innovative solutions to engineering problems have been inspired by biological phenomena, challenges still exist in developing generalized methodologies for biomimetic design…a different inductive approach has been proposed…”

Insight: In mathematics, a type of reasoning is called “inductive”. The basics behind such rule of though is simple yet extremely powerful. Basically a typical inductive reasoning would look something like this:

An event is true at some point in time;

An even is still true at a further point in time;

Because the event has been consistently true on many occasions, it is assumed that the event will continue to be true with a high probability of outcome (this probability can be assessed).

The downside of this type of reasoning is to fall within the trap of assuming that the events will always be true or in other words being overconfident. Perfect inductive reasoning while working in certain applications such as micro physics where predominant forces and little disturbances occur does not work flawlessly in our everyday world. Indeed, in business for instance a successful outcome may be replicable many times but there will be exceptions where the outcome differs because of external disturbances (e.g. economic fluctuations, accidents, unforeseen events…). Noting the above such mathematical reasoning framework is still inspirational when forging business strategies because:

If an event is replicable it is worth noticing and adjusting policies based on this high probability of outcome to improve processes;

Knowing the probability of success will help forge stronger strategies and manage the risks;

We all use inductive thinking once in a while without being conscious of it. For instance every time we take a plane there is a very small probability that something may happen, yet most of us are willing to take the risks knowing that:

This plane/company/aircraft type has been flying for x period of time;

So far nothing has ever happen to this fleet;

Based on the large number of flights without incidents there is a high probability that nothing will happen on my flight…

Therefore, I’m willing to take the risk.

Are you facing difficult decisions that may have outcomes involving a long history? If so, remember to assess the probability of success based on historical records and take decisions after you know the probability of outcome…

What is Biomimetics: the field of gaining inspiration from nature first to solve some of our most difficult challenges. Instead of coming up with our own solutions to a problematic, the odds are that species or natural systems on the planet already offer an ultimate solution. This simple fact is also another strong case to preserve species at all cost as the intellectual heritage contained within or through the study of species is both irreplaceable and invaluable…

How our position in relation to a business affects our views of it

Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity* is one of the towering achievements of 20th-century physics. Published in 1916, it explains that what we perceive as the force of gravity in fact arises from the curvature of space and time…

Highlight: “Quantum biomimetics consists of reproducing in quantum systems certain properties exclusive to living organisms…. Researchers at University of the Basque Country have imitated natural selection, learning and memory in a new study. The mechanisms developed could give quantum computation a boost and facilitate the learning process in machines…”

Insight: Relativity is actually an interesting inspiration for business. Indeed, where we stand: whether we are a potential customer of business services or products, a shareholder, a stakeholder, an employee or an executive of a given company would alter how we perceive that particular business.

Often people may like using a specific product which improves their lives and makes them happy but they do not know or do not which to know how this product is actually made. In certain cases knowing the latest would certainly alter if not reverse the perception that people have had of that product. Some obvious examples would include many food related items (e.g. processed meat) or electronics (e.g. the human sacrifices in production chains)…

Another point to make is that people who work within an organisation have a different perception than the general opinions perceived by the external stakeholders (which can be better or worst). Typical cases would include companies which are portrayed as “best places to work” and which in term may not necessarily turn out to be true once experienced from the inside (note worthy is that often such statements are true in a specific location such as the corporate headquarters but not necessarily the case in overseas offices which often struggle to replicate the culture and standards) or vice versa companies which may have been portrayed as “evil” by the stakeholders but which are actually decent places to work. All in all perceptions are relative and clichés should be taken cautiously and left to personal judgement…

Lets illustrate the above point with the following case study: George, a teenager, has been a big fan of his mobile phone brand for many years. One day his school organises a competition to which the winner would get to go overseas visit the actual manufacturing site, all costs paid by the company. Very exited at the prospect of visiting his favourite mobile brand’s facilities, this student studies extra hard and ends up winning the challenge. Soon after he travels to China and gets a warm welcome and several guided visits of the facilities. At first everything is as he expected: huge scale productions, state of the art engineering, modern facilities; George is really impressed and he even gets to make friend with one of the production line manager, Chen, during his lunch brake. Before his departure Chen invites George to have dinner with his family in a nearby modest suburb. After a friendly meal, he starts to tell George a different side of the story: that many members of his family who have worked in this company have perished of lung cancer because they have long been asked to handle heavy metals without adequate protections; that employees live in desperate conditions and are barely paid the minimum wage. He even tells that not so long ago the company employed many under-aged children in its production lines but were recently forced to comply due to law reinforcements in the country. He tells George that people in his country enjoy the products they make but that none of the products are intended for them; he caries on explaining that people simply do not know the truth about the poor management of this company when it comes to its workforce. Greatly saddened by what he has heard, George returns home and starts telling his entourage of his experience and Chen, he tells them that if he had not met Chen he would have remained uninformed and would continue to praise this company. Since then, George has stopped using this brand and has convinced many others to do so too…

Do you have an opinion about a product or a company that you have gained from common perceptions? If so, perhaps take a step back and dig a bit more, this may alter your perception either positively or negatively…

What is Biomimetics: the field of gaining inspiration from nature first to solve some of our most difficult challenges. Instead of coming up with our own solutions to a problematic, the odds are that species or natural systems on the planet already offer an ultimate solution. This simple fact is also another strong case to preserve species at all cost as the intellectual heritage contained within or through the study of species is both irreplaceable and invaluable…

How strategic insertions can reveal corporate secrets

Image: extract from the motion picture The Matrix, creative commons. The method of *standard addition is a type of quantitative analysis approach often used in analytical chemistry whereby the standard is added directly to the aliquots of analysed sample. This method is used in situations where sample matrix also contributes to the analytical signal, a situation known as the matrix effect, thus making it impossible to compare the analytical signal between sample and standard using the traditional calibration curve approach

Highlight: “A biomimetic sensor has been developed as a promising new analytical method for the determination of cyanide in different samples. The sensor was prepared by modifying a carbon electrode… Recovery studies were carried out using river and drinking water samples and the results obtained demonstrated that it is a reliable alternative method for the detection of this analyte”

Insight: In analytical chemistry, a powerfull technique is called “spiking”. The process of chromatography allows the identification of certain compounds (molecules) in a substance (gaz or liquid). While sometimes the results are oviously identificable, in other instances it is not. Spiking involves tricking the system by voluntarily adding a small amount of a substance to drive a reaction which will clearly indicate the presence or absence of the same substance…

This technique can be applied to business and is a powerful tool to have corporations or individuals reveal details that they would otherwise restrain to tell (e.g. competitiveness issues, sensitive information, non-ethical practices, unlawful practices…) . Indeed, when in confusion it is wise to test an assumption by strategically incorporating a hint in a communication in order to drive a response. In certain cases this will help to clarify the uncertainty. However, this technique must be used cautiously within ethical boundaries and a clear line must be drawn so that the other party does not feel offended or that they have fallen into a trap. Indeed, lying is not a nice thing to do (and should not be done) to find out an hidden outcome but Spiking is not a lie, it is more of a psychological strategy to drive a voluntary answer from an interlocutor that may reveal a key sought after statement. After all people always have the option to restrain themselves from answering or revealing information they do not which to reveal, it is a basic human right.

For instance lets illustrate the above with the following case study: a businessman has an important meeting with an investment firm interested to acquire part of his business shares. While the businessman has undertaken an in depth background check on this company (its values, financial strengths and stability…) he is still left in the doubt on whether or not the investor is genuine and understands his company’s values and objectives. Besides strong financial performance, this businessman’s Life Sciences company has a long history of doing social good and philanthropy to help communities in need. To continue on his family’s values, the businessman wishes’ that all shareholders understand and respect these values as well. In order to find out, the businessman prepares a range of questions he wishes to asks the investment firm and at one point strategically inserts a well thought statement as a side comment:

“by the way I don’t know if you have heard the news last night but some medical supplies money in Africa has increasingly been diverted to Rwanda to fund the weapons trades which eventually ends up in the ends of local rebels who, as soon as they have their hands on them, pressure local communities to slavery, how strange…”

Seemingly a causal statement well inserted in the context of the conversation about medical supplies in African war zones, at this stage the business is very attentive of every aspects of his interlocutors responses both in his behaviours and answers.

To his surprise the interlocutor does not seem to connect to his statement and quickly moves on with answering the previous question regarding supplies storage.

Through this seemingly small statement the Businessman in a matter of seconds has completely changed his mind regarding this investor and has decided that he will not get this company in because they do not seem sincere about the values of the company.

Are you facing important decision making and unsure about your decisions? If so, perhaps consider a spiking technique and observe responses to the spike. You may be surprised of the outcomes…

What is Biomimetics: the field of gaining inspiration from nature first to solve some of our most difficult challenges. Instead of coming up with our own solutions to a problematic, the odds are that species or natural systems on the planet already offer an ultimate solution. This simple fact is also another strong case to preserve species at all cost as the intellectual heritage contained within or through the study of species is both irreplaceable and invaluable…

Why seemingly simple aspects can in fact be extremely complex and how to handle such situations

Image: creative commons. In number theory, Fermat’s Last Theorem* (sometimes called Fermat’s conjecture) states that no three positive integers a, b, and c satisfy the equation an + bn = cn for any integer value of n greater than 2. The cases n = 1 and n = 2 have been known to have infinitely many solutions since antiquity.

Highlight: “Fish exhibit extremely high propulsive efficiency and excellent maneuverability. Designers are looking to exploit these traits by mimicking fish motion. A prototype robotic fish has been developed at The University of Auckland modeled on the carangiform mode of swimming…the algorithms involved in such motion control are complex as they have to deal with highly dynamic systems…”

Insight: Fermat’s last theorem appears at first sight to be simple especially compared with far more complex equations commonly used in mathematics or physics. Yet, this seemingly simple expression has for long been considered one of mathematics most complex problems. As matter of fact, the first successful proof was only released in 1994 by Andrew Wiles, and formally published in 1995, after 358 years of effort by mathematicians!

Often businesses are faced with similar situations where the complexity of a situation is underestimated. Underestimating a problem can have severe consequences for different reasons such as logistics, safety or budgeting.

For instance lets illustrate this point with the following situation: an airplane manufacturer is about to release a larger than usual aircraft to the mass market. After over ten years of intense preparations, complex problems solving and state of the art engineering the product is finally ready and the entire team is finalizing basic logistics. During one of the meetings the procedure of bringing some parts manufactured in other locations to the main assembly site is raised: the main fuselage, which is rather large comes in one single piece and is too big to fit in specialized planes normally used for the transport of smaller fuselage parts. Because of this, the only way to bring in the fuselage is by road or train. The team manager, not seeming too worry about it, asks the simple question of whether the dimensions of the fuselage would allow to bring it by road. After some detail analysis the answer comes out as a yes but with extremely tight error margins at some points which raises concerns from various members of the team. The manager more worried of having to announce further delays to the direction takes it as feasible and as a minor problem. After the first orders start to come in, the process of assembly starts and the fuselage is brought in as planned by road; this is when the realization that the problem was not so simple starts to kick-in through a range of unforeseen issues:

At some stages the fuselage must pass trough a small village and the margin or error (the distance between the fuselage and road side buildings) in turns is less than 10cm! A few safety misses occur and any bump to the fuselage would have serious repercussions as detailed inspections for safety would be required. To prevent this from happening a team of experts must also supervise the operations at all time which is rather costly;

Due to the size and sensitivity of the delivery the entire stretch of road must be closed to traffic and therefore can only be done late at night as it is a national road. Villagers complain of noise issues and other disturbances;

The road is not meant to carry such a weight and shortly after these operations begin, the pavement starts to crack which requires maintenance. The department authorities complain that they shouldn’t be the ones paying for the repair costs;

It takes longer to deliver due to the complexity of the process which requires to operate at very low speeds;

and many other issues which add on…

In the end the mounting problems force the company to finance the construction of a specially designed road to go around the village, that’s over 6 miles of road. The cost of this “little problem” ends up amounting to USD 450 millions!

Are you faced with certain obstacles going forward? If so, perhaps take the time to properly estimate the complexity of these problems as failure to do so could have serious and costly consequences on your project…

What is Biomimetics: the field of gaining inspiration from nature first to solve some of our most difficult challenges. Instead of coming up with our own solutions to a problematic, the odds are that species on the planet already offer an ultimate solution. This simple fact is also another strong case to preserve species at all cost as the intellectual heritage contained within or through the study of species is both irreplaceable and invaluable…

Why dispersion is sometimes a better alternative than concentration

Image: creative commons. Radioactive decay (also known as nuclear decay or radioactivity*) is the process by which an unstable atomic nucleus loses energy (in terms of mass in its rest frame) by emitting radiation, such as an alpha particle, beta particle with neutrino or only a neutrino in the case of electron capture, gamma ray, or electron …

Highlight: “In the recent years, wireless personal communications have registered a rapid expansion particularly in the field of wireless local area networks (WLANs)…Although this framework has given numerous advantages to people, the steady increased use of these new technologies may result in greater radio-frequency exposures in homes and work places…meanwhile, the property of iron atoms contained in species red blood cells to be magnetized when exposed to an electromagnetic field has been the subject of studies in order to better understand the relationship and how this may be used to improve human safety when exposed to WLANs…”

Insight: Recently I was having a casual coffee with a friend when he asked me the following question: “sometimes when I go to crowded places in modern cities I feel unease; do you think this could be due to the concentration of electromagnetic radiations from mobile phones?” While I am used to people throwing weird questions at me, this one got me thinking and I investigated further:

Electromagnetic radiations from mobile devices are far from being uniform, as a matter of fact the intensity of the radiations will reach picks at specific times and otherwise will be quite small. For instance in the second or so before your phone rings the magnetic wave will be at its pick and it will drop sharply shortly after. Same occurs when information is sent from the device. I find the question interesting as it raises the challenge of several verses individual uses. The below points hint some elements of answers:

Often products are tested for individual use but rarely for scenarios involving several devices used simultaneously and in proximity;

It is very difficult if not impossible to test a product for its long-term (e.g. latent toxicity) effects and since mobile phones have only been in use for 20 years or so that makes all of us some kind of “Guinea Pigs”;

Many happening in the human body occur at a very small scale (e.g. cellular functions) and it would be surprising that the intensity of radiations emitted from mobile devices do not interact at some level and to some extent. Some claim that the range of commercial devices radiations simply do not interact with human tissues: if so, how to explain that when you hold your phone next to your ear for a short time you would definitely literally feel the heat?

Besides mobile phone, we live in a society where we are increasingly constantly bombarded with various types of waves (electromagnetic, micro waves, hertzian waves, UV, IR…) immersing us in a “wave soup”. While only time will reveal potential impacts on health, sharp increase in chronic diseases such as certain types of cancers is an indication. It would be very difficult to pinpoint a single cause as there are many other culprits which probably add on (e.g. the food we eat, air quality…).

This case actually reminds me another one I came across a few years back while in Australia. In this country the use of fire safety alarms is quite spread and a stringent requirement for public facilities. When disposed the alarms were just treated as a common waste and ended up in land fields. At some point, a new regulation came up stating that fire alarms should be considered as an hazardous waste considering the fact that they contain radioactive* components (in small amounts). Thereafter, the fire alarms were collected and commonly disposed in a separate land field. However, a funny outcome happened: while individually the radioactivity from the devices was mild, put together all these fire alarms started to pose a very serious radiation problem which would require expensive secured facilities to contain…After this inconvenient realization, an update to the regulation made a U-turn and went back to the original setup of treating fire alarms as a normal waste so that the radioactive waste would be diluted among others and would not cause a radiation concern. Quite a funny story highlighting many failures in the regulatory process!

Are you producing or find yourselves surrounded by devises/processes in unusually large quantities? If so, perhaps ask yourself how does this combined concentrated environment affect safety and remember that such tests are rarely conducted by authorities which does not mean it should not be a concern…

What is Biomimetics: the field of gaining inspiration from nature first to solve some of our most difficult challenges. Instead of coming up with our own solutions to a problematic, the odds are that species or natural systems on the planet already offer an ultimate solution. This simple fact is also another strong case to preserve species at all cost as the intellectual heritage contained within or through the study of species is both irreplaceable and invaluable…

How reasoning on impossible assumptions can be a powerful rule of thought

Image: Creative commons. An imaginary number* is a complex number that can be written as a real number multiplied by the imaginary unit i, which is defined by its property i2 = −1. The square of an imaginary number bi is −b2. For example, 5i is an imaginary number, and its square is −25.

Highlight: “Microelectronic devices are currently fabricated by using processes that are intrinsically two-dimensional, and the inter-connectivity required in complex systems is achieved by stacking and connecting planar layers of circuits…on the other hand biological structures arise by constrained self-assembly, and are usually three-dimensional (3D)…a new research demonstrates that biomimetic principles of design and self-organization can be applied to generate multifunctional electronic systems of complex, three-dimensional architecture…”

Insight: An important field of mathematics deals with so called imaginary numbers* with practical applications in areas such as microelectronics; as a matter of fact most of our modern devices (e.g. mobile phones) exist because of these algorithms. This field makes outrageous assumptions which defies the fundamental rules of mathematics: assuming that the square root of a number can be a negative entity. Yet, by setting accurate reasoning on this single impossible outcome, an entire field of mathematics was developed and the outcomes of the predictions are undoubtedly correct to the point of being the basis of modern electronics!

What this field of mathematics clearly demonstrates is that it is possible to come up with accurate outcomes even based on inaccurate assumptions. The key is to know (and keep track) that the assumption is incorrect but that the logic surrounding it is correct. It is a very powerful trick to reveal hidden outcomes which would otherwise remain invisible by applying conventional logic.

This mindset can be applied to business: sometimes businesses have to deal with complex happenings that don’t seem to have any apparent solutions. Yet, looking at problems from another perspective and anticipating changes to come based on impossible assumptions can help to forge strong strategies.

For instance lets imagine the following scenario: an insurance & financial advisory company is about to launch their new offering for retirement. Like it is common practice before the launch of a new insurance package, they develop a computer model which simulates various scenarios based on in-house algorithms developed by their analytical mathematicians. One of the tests involves running a range of impossible outcomes and in this particular case one of these assumptions is that everyone in the United States lives up to 100 years hold (obviously impossible). While running this assumption into the model an unusual behavior is noticed in the algorithm and quickly rectified. Once fixed they continue to run the models based on realistic life expectancy assumptions based on real life data and the product is soon after launched. The point here is that without this impossible assumption the error would not have been noticed as the odd outcome remained too small to be seen under normal realistic assumptions…

Are you stuck with a complex problem that does not seem to have any solution? If so, perhaps try the above approach by projecting outcomes based on false assumptions; you may be surprised with the outcomes…

What is Biomimetics: the field of gaining inspiration from nature first to solve some of our most difficult challenges. Instead of coming up with our own solutions to a problematic, the odds are that species or natural systems on the planet already offer an ultimate solution. This simple fact is also another strong case to preserve species at all cost as the intellectual heritage contained within or through the study of species is both irreplaceable and invaluable…

Why business automation is both an opportunity and a risk

*Cybernetics is a trans-disciplinary approach for exploring regulatory systems—their structures, constraints, and possibilities. Norbert Wiener defined cybernetics in 1948 as “the scientific study of control and communication in the animal and the machine.”

Highlight: “The evolution of the paradigm of modern biomechatronics and robotics can be seen in two main directions, standing as two extremities of a range of future biomechatronics systems: increasing the performance and miniaturization of the hardware platform and increasing the intelligence of the integrated system. Regarding the first direction, the current challenge is to develop sophisticated machines with a higher level of miniaturization and performance, as they can be inspired by insects…a recent paper highlight the current state of achievements in the merging fields of biomimetics and cybernetics*…”

Insight: There are functions in living organisms for which we are conscious and have control over, and others we have no knowledge and little or no control. Examples would include digestive systems, respiratory reflects and inner body vital functions in general. In a way many of these processes are on “auto-mode” like a fine tuned machine. Similarly in business there are functions which we do ourselves consciously and a few processes which have become assisted by machines. However, while to date the assistance has been mild all this is about to change fast.

The hard truth is that the vast majority of jobs out there can, now or soon, be replaced by machines. These do not only include labor intensive blue-collar jobs which require repetitive tasks but increasingly even tasks which have been considered very skilled such as head-hunting, trading or even various medical professions which are progressively threatened of being outperformed by newly developed “smart” systems and algorithms backed by rapidly increasing computer processing power. To put things into perspective the below graphic highlights clearly the trend of the development of artificial intelligence:

Source: Journal of evolution and technology. At the current rate of increase we are only decades away from computer processing power outperforming the human brain.

It is obvious that the main reasons for corporations to embark on automation are to reduce manpower costs and to boost productivity which in an increasingly unsecured global economic landscape makes a lot of business sense. Replacement of people with machines removes instantly a range of human related burdens for businesses such as poor productivity, various leaves, strikes, accidents…In fact the benefits seem too good to be true. For instance in some cases, like in manufacturing chains, the productivity can be increased by a factor of 100 or more…

Optimists on the issue often refer to a transition period which will be followed by stabilization. They claim that many jobs will be lost (perhaps underestimated) but that the replacements by machines will create many new roles. There is no doubt about this but perhaps the real question to be asked is how many? If one machine can replace 100 jobs but that only a few technicians/engineers may be required to maintain and monitor that machine, all in all it seems completely out of balance…

The very thought of massive jobs loss globally from automation alone (there are other factors which will add-on to these losses) raises very serious societal and ethical questions. If governments allow corporations to take on this path, what is the replacement solution? Are governments ready to pay people to do nothing through a minimal wage system?

It seems that overall large scale automation would be greatly beneficial to businesses but extremely harmful to societies, at least in the current political and economic settings. Like many other mega trends unfolding it is obvious that no one or entities really seem to have a clear solution and that the mind-set is a “wait and see” approach, which is not really pragmatic…

Are you thinking of automating your business? What are your thoughts on the topic?

What is Biomimetics: the field of gaining inspiration from nature first to solve some of our most difficult challenges. Instead of coming up with our own solutions to a problematic, the odds are that species or natural systems on the planet already offer an ultimate solution. This simple fact is also another strong case to preserve species at all cost as the intellectual heritage contained within or through the study of species is both irreplaceable and invaluable…

Why the implementation of feedback loops is important to manage project risks

Image NASA. “Anthropic response as a positive feedback to the global change phenomenon is one to worry about” …Feedback*: in biology, a response within a system (molecule, cell, organism, or population) that influences the continued activity or productivity of that system. In essence, it is the control of a biological reaction by the end products of that reaction.

Highlight: “Researchers at MIT have introduced a novel Balance Feedback *Interface (BFI) that addresses the problem of bilateral feedback for tele-operation of humanoid robots…by studying various feedback response processes found in natural systems including in the human body, the team was able to model complex bilateral communications between machine and operator…the result is a humanoid robot with precision and sensitivity beyond anything achieved to date…applications include distance tele-operated surgery”

Insight: Many natural processes are not as static as they seem but are in fact dynamic systems which have reached equilibrium that require continuous adjustments to surrounding conditions. Basically there are two types of feedbacks: positive ones would improve a given process while negative feedbacks would alter it. A good example of that is the climate system (I have previously posted specifically on this aspect here).

Doing business is no different than certain natural cycle functions in that it needs constant adjustments to adapt to ongoing changes. When implementing processes or change strategies, it is of primary importance to concurrently develop effective feedback mechanisms in order to monitor the evolution of the changes.

While it may seem common sense, too often projects are successfully implemented but fail overtime because no adequate feedback mechanisms have been put in place. A process without its adequate control tools is not easily manageable. For instance it is not conceivable to develop a website these days without a proper associated Content Management System (CMS), and similarly the same system/system control approach should apply to any sizable project. Obvious direct benefits include:

Being able to monitor the evolution;

Being able to react in time based on those information;

Keeping performance records;

Due diligence.

Are you planning to implement change in the form of a new project? If so remember to concurrently develop a feedback monitoring platform which will allow to keep track and adjust…

What is Biomimetics: the field of gaining inspiration from nature first to solve some of our most difficult challenges. Instead of coming up with our own solutions to a problematic, the odds are that species or natural systems on the planet already offer an ultimate solution. This simple fact is also another strong case to preserve species at all cost as the intellectual heritage contained within or through the study of species is both irreplaceable and invaluable…

How the choice of information delivery is crucial to business performance

Image: Cell Membrane Transport Proteins. A membrane transport protein* (or simply transporter) is a membrane protein involved in the movement of ions, small molecules, or macromolecules, such as another protein, across a biological membrane.

Highlight:“Biological membranes constitute the set of membranes defining boundaries and organelles in living cells–the structural and functional building blocks of all known living organisms… The integrity of the cell depends on its ability to separate inside from outside and yet at the same time allow massive transport of matter in and out the cell… Nature has elegantly met this challenge by developing membranes in the form of lipid bilayers in which specialized and highly efficient transport proteins are incorporated…based on these observations, researchers have developed high performance semi-permeable membranes …the applications for the bio pharmaceutical industry are tremendous…”

Insight: There are many examples in nature that use transporters to carry a signal. For instance cell functions use Membrane Transport Proteins* to allow information to transit through the cellular walls.

Applications in areas as far as telecommunications can be found. We all use mobile phones but few have a clue of the technology behind it. As a matter of fact the principles at the very core of these devices use sophisticated mathematics to encrypt and receive information. One of these is known as Wave Carriers whereby a weak information containing signal is carried by a more powerful one in order to cover the required distances, a bit like a car hoping onto a high speed train. The principle is basically using a three phase approach: encoding-transport-decoding.

The use of carrier signals is common in modern telecommunications to transport information

A point to make here is that it is crucial to choose the right transportation mode for a given information… For instance If you require information to flow to your employees internally, the use of a speaker (human) which will dispatch the message small groups at a time is probably the most effective; on the other hand, if you require to inform stakeholders throughout the world on an important update, social media may be the best choice; if you require classified information to reach specific people an encrypted message or in person delivery may be used…

While it seems common sense, the misuse of communication means in businesses is surprisingly common which often leads to problems affecting not only performance but in most serious cases even corporate or individuals reputation. Recent political messages leaks during the US election campaign is a good example of such…

Are you facing difficulties to communicate information across? If so always consider your options before jumping to the first or easiest communication means as the implications can be far greater than thought. A set of simple questions can be used to quickly decide on the choice of the transporter:

What is Biomimetics: the field of gaining inspiration from nature first to solve some of our most difficult challenges. Instead of coming up with our own solutions to a problematic, the odds are that species or natural systems on the planet already offer an ultimate solution. This simple fact is also another strong case to preserve species at all cost as the intellectual heritage contained within or through the study of species is both irreplaceable and invaluable…